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Nashville eighth-grader to represent Middle Tennessee at the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Nashville eighth-grader to represent Middle Tennessee at the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Benjamin Kulas

Thanks to Crossings Nashville Action Partnership (CNAP),

Nashville eighth-grader Benjamin Kulas will represent Middle Tennessee at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Benjamin, formerly a lifelong Williamson County resident, moved recently to Nashville with his parents, Jeff and Diana Kulas. The 13-year-old has been home schooled since second grade and is a member of the Middle Tennessee Home Education Association; he won first place at the MTHEA spelling bee in February.

This will be Benjamin’s second trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, having tied for 42rd place in 2011 after winning the Regional Bee at Belmont University when he was nine years old. Benjamin described Bee Week 2011 as, “the best week of my life” and it’s been his goal ever since to return and advance to the semifinal rounds. In addition to the champion’s trophy, CNAP provides an all-expense paid trip for Kulas and one parent to attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Md., near Washington, D.C.

In addition to spelling, Kulas excels in math and science. He was listed on the honor roll for the AMC-8 mathematics competition by earning a score in the top 5 percent internationally and he tied for ninth place this year at the regional Mathcounts competition. He has been a member of the home school Mathcounts team for three years. Kulas enjoys computer science, especially cyber security, and his team placed highly in Carnegie Mellon’s Pico CTF “Toaster Wars” hacking competition last fall. He recently attended his fourth Tennessee Junior Classical League Convention and placed in the top 10 for all four of the Latin competitions in which he participated.

Kulas was named a “Bevan Scholar” by the Duke TIP program in seventh grade for achieving a perfect score of 36 on the English portion of the ACT. Benjamin plays violin with the Williamson County Youth Orchestra and also plays piano. Kulas has been a “Hike for the Homeless” team captain for the past two years, raising more than $3,000 for Safe Haven Family Homeless Shelter. He enjoys ice skating, archery, fencing, and hanging out with friends.

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